JEFF the Brotherhood have been at this a long time. Probably longer than you realize. The band was founded in 2001 when the two brothers, Jake and Jamin Orrall, were just kids. In that time they’ve released a dozen or so albums of hard crunching, guitar-heavy music that constantly shifts styles.

Their latest release, Magick Songs, finds the brothers stepping in yet another new direction. On this album you’ll hear things you don’t traditionally find on a JEFF the Brotherhood album. The sound leans in a more psychedelic direction than previous releases and highlights what has always been true about the duo—they’re not just making paint-by-numbers stoner rock, they’ve earned their longevity through talent and dedication to always pushing themselves to try new things.

Before the band hits up Great Scott on September 25th, we had the chance to catch up with Jake Orrall. We talked about what inspired the new album, how they keep things fresh after all these years, and the infamous deal with Warner Brothers. We then dove deep for a refreshing and honest discussion about what it’s like to be a musician nowadays.

Allston Pudding: Can you give me a little background on the new album? What were you hoping to achieve with it?

Jake Orrall: We weren’t really planning on doing another album, to be honest. Unless our label picked us up for a second record, which they did. We had an advance to work with, so we decided if we were going to do it we would make our own studio at my house and record it ourselves. We basically told them “we’re not going to give you any demos. We’re just going to do our thing—whatever the finished product is, that’s what you get.”

So we got set up to record in my living room. Then we didn’t write anything until we were ready to press record, then we started jamming.

AP: So the sounds are what came out of that jamming session? It feels like there’s more texture and different sounds on this album than you’ve had in the past.

JO: It’s kind of my first foray into engineering. There’s a lot of unorthodox sounds.

AP: What drove you into wanting to engineer this album?

JO: We just didn’t really have any idea of what we wanted to do in terms of an album. We hadn’t written any songs or picked the direction we were going in. It was really a matter of necessity to find the next thing. We didn’t have the luxury of hiring an engineer or paying for six months of studio time. The best way to figure it out was to do it ourselves.

AP: Why weren’t you expecting to do another album?

JO: We just didn’t think our label was going to pick us up for another album. They believe in us, though.

AP: What kind of support have you gotten from them?

JO: We got the record advance [laughs].

AP: It’s been a few years since the Warner Brothers thing, looking back do you feel you have any new insights on that experience?

JO: Gosh, I feel like it’s been so long. We tried it out, it didn’t work out. It was a good experience. I think it changed the trajectory of our band, maybe for the better.

AP: What do you mean in a better way?

JO: I think we would’ve burnt  out a lot faster if we had actually been successful radio-rock musicians. It kind of becomes work at that point. That album, Wasted on the Dream, that was our ‘work’ album. That was “let’s get to work and try to have a career in music.” When you turn something you love into work, that kind of ruins it.

AP: Was there anything about that work attitude that you enjoyed?

JO: Nah, it pretty much just sucked in every way [laughs]. Except that we got some money. That’s the most important thing is money. That’s how you pay the bills and feed yourself.

AP: You guys have been in the game a long time. You’re going on nearly two decades, what’s it like to be a tenured vet and how do you keep things fresh?

JO: A lot of what we do to keep things fresh for ourselves is kind of against our better judgement. For instance, this tour we’re doing, we’re touring as a five-piece band. So we’re splitting the money five ways. Instead of as we’ve done for so long, going out just the two of us. But, if we did that, it would just be a boring chore. Since we can afford to bring five people on tour, that makes it really fun. We get to hang out with our friends, flesh out the songs, and play the music how it was meant to be played.

Neither of us focus on it 100%. It’s become more of a part-time thing nowadays. We both have other interests that we pursue in the meantime, that helps. We don’t rely on it. I work a day job, so that I can do this for fun and not for work.

AP: Did it take you a while to figure out that you wanted to keep this as more of a fun part-time thing, rather than a full-time job?

JO: Obviously we had a great deal of success as an indie band putting out or own records. It was probably around the time we signed with Warner Brothers that it kind of wasn’t fun doing what we were doing anymore. Kind of went into a deep depression for a long time, and made it out on the other side.

AP: It’s been awhile since you’ve gone on tour, what’s the time off been like?

JO: Stressful. It’s been stressful trying to get back into a day-job schedule. Then also trying to make this record, which took like six months to make. And trying to figure out how to balance those things and still make enough money to pay the mortgage and eat.

AP: What have you discovered to help balance those things?

JO: Oh god, nothing, I’m horrible at it.

AP: You don’t ever really hear many musicians talking about the other side of things with working a day job or anything outside of music. It’s refreshing to hear about that side of it.

JO: Anyone who doesn’t need to have a day job or do anything besides music is very, very, fortunate [laughs]. They’ve either had a tremendous amount of success or were already rich. Or they’re comfortable living in their van. Which we did for years and years, but I’m over that now. I don’t want to sleep on a floor anymore, I’m too old [laughs].

AP: What’s the process been like for getting ready to take these new songs on the road with all the new sounds and textures you’ve added?’

JO: We’ve been in rehearsals for the last two weeks arranging everything. It’s been really fun, we’re really excited about it. A lot of the songs on the record lend themselves to jamming and extending different parts on different nights. It’s really very fluid; there’s not a lot of defined structure. It’s different every time. It’s been really fun. We’re really excited to do it live because it’s so expressive. It’s not just getting up there and playing the songs the same way. You’re kind of feeling it out each time.

JEFF the Brotherhood hits Great Scott on September 25th. You can purchase tickets here.